Holy Sword Temple
by Lamia of the Dark
Summary: An alternate universe in which Seras is saved by Anderson rather than Alucard, and the still-human Seras becomes an agent of Iscariot.
1. Savior

**DISCLAIMER: Hellsing belongs to Kouta Hirano.**

~ Holy Sword Temple ~

A young police officer with no living relatives, no real friends, no one left in the world who would miss her now that her coworkers were all dead. A woman who now knew about the existence of the supernatural, who had very nearly escaped becoming one of the undead herself.

Perhaps not the best candidate to be recruited as an Iscariot agent, but Anderson didn't know what else to do with her. The idea of leaving her there - alone, adrift, having lost everyone close to her at the same time as having her worldview shifted - did not sit right with him. Agents of the Hellsing Organization were no doubt on their way to Cheddar Village right now. If he didn't take her with him, they would certainly see fit to either recruit or _silence_ her.

Luckily, Seras already had a passport (although she'd never actually used it for anything before), which made bringing her back to the Vatican City with him was less complicated than it could have been.

Glancing down at the girl as she murmured one of her lost comrade-in-arms' names, seeing the tears that leaked from the corners of her closed eyes as she slept in the plane seat beside him, Anderson was certain he'd made the right decision.

* * *

Bishop Maxwell was not pleased with having the results of Anderson's decision sprung on him with no forewarning. ("You could have at least _called_ first and let me know!") But he could hardly object to the paladin's plan now that the girl was already here and seemed determined to become a slayer of the undead herself - with or without Iscariot's help or approval.

It wasn't as though they had a way to erase her knowledge of the undead. And if they sent her back to England by herself, she would most likely end up either getting herself killed by investigating the incidents on her own, or fall into the hands of Hellsing.

So, in the end, he figured it was better for him to train her here at Iscariot rather than send her back into the clutches of monsters or heathens of a deviant faith.

* * *

Despite some measure of homesickness, Seras adjusted quickly to her new life as a holy monster-slayer in training.

Trading her police uniform for a nun's habit was an odd change for Seras, who was not used to wearing long flowing skirts. Combat training with Father Anderson and some of the other younger Iscariot agents was awkward for the first few days, until the one called Yumie took it upon herself to teach Seras how to maneuver properly so as not to trip over her own skirts during battle.

In addition to target practice with firearms, which she was already somewhat familiar with from her former police training, Seras was also undergoing endurance training to improve her general strength, and swordfighting would soon be added to her routine.

~to be continued~

 **A/N: This chapter is more a of prologue, and the rest will be less choppy.**


	2. Compassion

~ Holy Sword Temple ~

Despite reassurances that the children were sure to love her, Seras was nervous about visiting St. Ferdinand's orphanage with Father Anderson for the first time. Much of her own childhood had been spent in an orphanage and she didn't have many pleasant memories of that place.

 _But_ , she reminded herself, _I'm not going there as a homeless child. I am an adult_. Not a child, but she'd still been inordinately happy when Father Maxwell had patted her on the head and called her a good girl earlier today.

Seras nearly blushed with pride as she thought, _I'm an agent of the Iscariot Organization now_.

When they arrived at the orphanage, the children swarmed around Anderson, chattering happily and clinging to his legs. Anderson greeted each child by name, listened attentively to their chatter, and responded to their affection by patting them on the head.

Seras stood awkwardly to the side while all of this was going on, unsure what to do with herself, until one of the children finally noticed her.

The little boy tugged on Anderson's pant leg to get the priest's attention and, pointing at Seras, asked, "Who's that?"

"Oh, how rude of me. I should have introduced her to you immediately," Anderson said. "Children, this is Sister Victoria."

"Um... hi, kids," Seras said, and gave an awkward wave. It was probably obvious to them that she had very little experience interacting with children, but there wasn't much she could about that at this point.

"She talks funny," a different boy said, staring at Seras with a distinctly suspicious expression.

"That isn't a nice thing to say," Anderson scolded the child gently. "She can't help the way she talks. She's from England."

Despite Seras's initial awkwardness, the kids warmed up to her quickly, and crowded around her to introduce themselves and ask questions.

After that initial encounter, her nervousness about interacting with the children melted away, and she began to look forward to future visits to the orphanage.

During Seras's third time accompanying Anderson to the orphanage, she noticed a certain sullen child who seemed reluctant to play with the others, and didn't seem to like _her_ too much at first, either. Picking up on her interest in that particular child, Anderson quietly informed her that the little girl was a new arrival who had been retrieved from tragic circumstances.

Seras chose not to approach the child immediately, but watched over her carefully throughout the day. The girl - whose name, somewhat ironically, was Angel - was unsociable with the other children, overprotective of her few material possessions, and only grudgingly compliant to authority figures. In other words, a child who reminded Seras painfully of _herself_ at that age.

As time went on, Seras noticed that the only person Angel regarded with any degree of warmth was Heinkel - who visited the orphanage with them occasionally, but not often. It was during one of these rare occasions that the child took it upon herself to finally approach Seras.

Without preamble, Angel asked her, "Are you going to fight monsters with Heinkel and Father Anderson?"

Seras was stunned into silence by the question for a moment, as she realized that the 'tragic circumstances' from which the child had been extracted must have involved a vampire or other monster somehow.

Not trusting herself to speak, Seras nodded.

"Here, take this to fight the monsters with," Angel said, and shoved something into Seras's hands, then ran away before she had a chance to protest.

Seras looked down at the object in her hands. It was a squirt gun with a shiny silver finish that could almost be mistaken for a real pistol - one of Angel's treasured possessions.

~to be continued~

 **A/N:** Now you know the story behind Seras's squirt gun from "Holy Water"! And while that particular scene won't be in this fic, the squirt gun _will_ make another appearance when Seras meets Alucard.


	3. Holy Blade

~ Holy Sword Temple ~

Seras's sword training progressed well, and after the first few weeks, she was given her own personal weapon - a purified and blessed silver longsword, which Anderson had picked out for her based on what he'd seen of her abilities.

It was a week after she'd received her holy sword when Anderson informed her, "I think you're ready for your first real mission."

A real mission. That meant she would finally get a chance to slay monsters! A bright smile lit Seras's face at this thought. In response to her enthusiasm, Anderson reached out to ruffle her hair.

"We leave in an hour," he said. "Make sure you're prepared."

"Yes, Father!"

Seras hurried to her room and changed into a clean outfit - complete with the wimple, which she didn't normally bother to wear. No one had chastised her for not wearing the complete nun's outfit at all times, although it _was_ required in formal situations. Was battle a formal situation? She hadn't thought to ask.

 _I'd better wear it, just in case_ , she decided.

After getting dressed, Seras took a few moments to polish her sword. She also armed herself with a her backup weapons: a silver dagger, a small handgun equipped with incendiary bullets (which she'd lovingly nicknamed "Last Resort"), and a few vials of holy water.

 _It will probably be time to leave soon_.

She glanced at the clock, which told her that only eleven minutes had passed. She sighed. An hour didn't seem like a very long time until you were waiting for it to be _over_.

Seras paced, unable to settle down and do something like reading to pass the time. She was too hyped about the imminent mission to concentrate on anything else. There wasn't much space in the small bedroom to pace, so she was only moving six steps in either direction before having to turn around. After a few repetitions she became less focused on staying in a straight line and ended up bumping into the nightstand. Something clattered noisily to the floor, startling her out of her thoughts.

Seras knelt to retrieve the fallen object. It was the squirt gun that Angel had given her. Seras smiled at the memory of the child's earnest expression as she told her to take it and fight monsters with it.

"But it's not like I can actually fight vampires with a..." she said out loud, trailing off as a thought struck her. Seras touched her fingetips to the outside of the pocket where her vials of holy water were tucked.

It was probably a ridiculous idea. Father Anderson would most likely not approve.

Seras uncapped one of the vials and emptied it into the squirt gun's reservoir.

* * *

The mission destination turned out to be a hospital which had been taken over by a vampire. All of the patients and staff had been turned into ghouls. Anderson made quick work of the vampire. The ghouls, which _should_ have returned to a state of natural death upon the loss of their master... did not. Seras was unnerved by this turn of events, which went against everything Iscariot had taught her about the undead. But when she turned to Anderson, he didn't seem surprised at all.

"Father...?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"You clear out the ones on this floor," he told her. "I'll take care of the ones upstairs. Shout if you need me."

"But how are they still alive?" she asked quietly, after Anderson had already disappeared from her sight. After a moment's thought, she realized what she'd said and corrected herself: "Undead."

A ghoul shambled into the hallway from the adjoined corridor, and Seras didn't have time to ponder the implications of the situation anymore. Now was the time act.

She raised her sword.

~to be continued~


	4. Cleansing

~ Holy Sword Temple ~

Much like the ghouls she'd faced in Cheddar Village, these were slow-moving and loud. Still scary? Yes. But this time she was going into the fight armed with the knowledge of what they were and how to kill them, and weapons crafted specifically to accomplish the task.

Her sword cleaved neatly through the first ghoul's head. The body collapsed at her feet in a pool of blood. She didn't have time to celebrate her first real monster-slaying, though, as more ghouls were drawn by the sounds of the battle. The fruits of her training were about to be put to the test.

Seras hacked and sliced through head after head after head. It was best to aim for the head with ghouls, since she only had one sword to work with and a failed stab at the heart of the undead could put her in a dangerous position. Of course she had her gun for backup, but it wasn't meant to be her main weapon, and she wasn't carrying nearly enough ammo to take on the horde of ghouls that swarmed the corridor before her.

The monsters' numbers worked against them in this case. They crowded against each other in the hallway, impeding each other in their efforts to get to the human - who probably seemed like a tasty snack to them, despite the fact that she was wielding a blessed silver blade and cutting them down at a decently efficient rate.

Even though she was doing well on her own, there were so _many_ of them that she considered calling for Anderson to come and help her. But then she recalled the way he'd told her to take care of this floor, as if he had complete confidence in her ability to do so.

 _I can do this_ , she told herself. _I will do it. I'll make Father Anderson proud_.

She paused only long enough to flick the gore from her blade and readjust her grip on the hilt, then got back to work cutting down ghouls.

Seras wasn't paying much attention to the moans and groans made by the ghouls as she slashed her way through their ranks, but neither had she entirely tuned out her surroundings. When the level of sound suddenly changed, she definitely noticed it. It seemed that the ghouls at the other end of the hallway were impatient to get over to this side, if the increased volume of their groans and the way the entire crowd surged forward at once was any indicator.

Trying to give herself more room maneuver, Seras took a few quick steps backward. A low cry escaped her as her back met the wall on her third step. For a moment she was tempted to panic, but then she noticed that most of the ghouls - even the ones closest to her - weren't focused on her at all, but rather on whatever was going on at the other end of the corridor.

Had Anderson already cleared out the upper floors and returned?

Over the sounds of the ghouls, she could faintly hear... laughter? And was that a gunshot just now?

 _Not Father Anderson, then. But who else could it be?_

More laughter, more gunshots, more ghouls trying to get away from whoever was attacking them from the other side.

 _Well, I guess I'll find out who it is soon enough_.

Seras hefted her sword and leapt back into the fray. Whoever the other person was, they were ripping through the ghouls like tissue paper, not even bothering to use their gun most of the time. By the time the two of them came face to face after both striking the last ghoul at the same time (she through the head and he through the heart), Seras's fear had faded - replaced almost entirely by curiosity about who the mysterious monster-slayer might be.

He grinned down at her with a mouthful of sharp shark-like fangs.

 _Vampire_ , she realized with a shock.

Not sparing another moment for idle contemplation, Seras raised her sword and struck.

~to be continued~


	5. Alucard vs Seras

~ Holy Sword Temple ~

Alucard glanced from the snarling face of his attacker to her sword, the tip of which was now embedded in his sternum. He then let his gaze slide slowly along the length of the blessed silver blade - which he noted was engraved with the words _Exeunt Tenebris_ \- and back to the little nun's face.

She jerked on the sword hilt, attempting to extract it, but it remained firmly stuck.

"What were you aiming for, exactly?" he asked.

Apparently taken off-guard by _the vampire_ casually addressing her, she panicked a bit as she scrambled to reply.

"Th-the... heart?" she stuttered out uncertainly, still tugging on her weapon in an effort to free it.

"Hmm. It's more to the left, you know."

"I..." Her cheeks puffed out in frustration. "Why are you telling me this?" she snapped. "You're not supposed to give me advice on how to kill you!"

Alucard chuckled.

She really thought she could kill him? This girl was too adorable.

Her scowl deepened.

Oh, his laughter offended her? That was hilarious! He laughed even harder.

Of course, he _could_ just temporarily liquefy the bone and let her pull the blade out, but it was more fun watching her struggle with it - even if the continued contact with the blessed silver did burn.

His laughter died as the tugging stopped and the little nun's expression morphed from rage to determination. Keeping her left hand on the sword hilt, she fumbled in her skirt pocket with the other for a few awkwardly long moments before triumphantly withdrawing a gun. A gun which she promptly leveled at his head and pulled the trigger.

He grinned, expecting a bullet, not-

"Bleh, holy water!" He spat, coughed, then spat again. "Ugh, it went right in my mouth." He gagged a little, coughed, and spat again.

She still kept a stubborn hold on the sword, even as the toy gun rattled in her hand. She was quite visibly perturbed that her attacks - her _holy_ items - were causing him more annoyance than any true damage.

So focused was he on the girl that the slight widening of her eyes and sudden absence of her grip on the sword were all the warning he got before finding himself skewered with no less than a dozen of Anderson's bayonets. Alucard's gaze was still locked on the little nun and her face god damn lit up with joy at the sight of his torso riddled with holy blades.

Alucard snarled and turned to face Anderson. The girl wasn't nearly as much of a threat as the Judas Priest.

Or so he thought...

Even as Alucard leveled his gun at the priest and let off a shot, Anderson rushed at him head-on. The bullet nicked Anderson's cheek but the wound closed back up almost immediately.

"Regenerator," Alucard growled, receiving in return only a feral grin from the priest.

Anderson stopped his charge short of where Alucard was expecting. His purpose in doing so soon became clear as he grabbed the hilt of the longsword and wrenched it free from his nemesis's chest. Then, with an underhanded toss that sent it skittering along the floor behind the vampire, Anderson passed the sword back to its owner.

Alucard didn't bother to check what the girl was doing, instead firing off more shots at the priest as Anderson charged recklessly at him again. Careless of the multitude of blades still sticking out of his opponent, Anderson bulled straight into the vampire, knocking them both to the ground, where they rolled around in awkward tangle of limbs, each trying and failing to properly use his weapon at this far-too-close of a distance.

Just when Alucard thought he finally had the upper hand - he was on top, his gun to Anderson's forehead - he realized too late that he should have paid more attention to what the little nun was doing, because...

 _Thunk_. There went his head.

~to be continued~


	6. Revelation

~ Holy Sword Temple ~

Bayonets clattered to the floor as the vampire's body liquefied. Anderson rolled to the side to avoid getting any vampire drippings on him.

Holding her sword in one hand, Seras extended the other to Anderson. She belatedly realized that he probably didn't _need_ her assistance in getting to his feet, but he smiled at the gesture and took her hand, allowing her to help him up.

"Why didn't you call for me earlier?" Anderson asked, frowning.

"I had the situation under control," Seras answered. Even though, honestly, she really hadn't.

Anderson reached out to pat her on the head, much like he would one of the children at the orphanage.

"You did well enough for your first real mission," he said, "but you still should have called for me when you were having trouble."

Seras blushed and stammered with embarrassment at the praise and indignation at the priest's insistence that she had been in over her head and should have called for help.

The moment was broken by the arrival of a new person on the scene. This person had long blond hair, was dressed in a business suit, immediately began yelling at Anderson, and Seras honestly had no idea whether the stranger was a woman or a man.

"Your actions here are a violation of the agreement between the Vatican and Hellsing!"

 _Agreement, what agreement?_ Seras wondered. Until this point she hadn't even realized there might be other secret organizations besides Iscariot which hunted monsters, much less that she and Anderson might be encroaching on another such agency's territory.

"I killed your pet vampire. I cut off his head."

Seras was startled at Anderson's blatant lie, but tried not to let it show on her face as she quickly realized that his claim of having committed the deed himself was done in order to protect her.

"You cut off his head? Is that all?" A slow grin spread over Integra's face. "It will take much more than _that_ to kill Alucard."

Seras looked down at the blob of vampire goo on the floor, then back to Integra, then back to the puddle of vampire.

"It's not _dead_?" she asked in a tone of obvious disbelief.

She looked to Anderson for confirmation, but he seemed just as perplexed by Integra's claim as Seras was.

Seras looked back down at the floor, but the puddle of vampire was gone.

 _What? Where could it have gone? It was just there_.

She looked around for the severed head, but that was also no longer where it had landed.

Integra laughed at the bewildered Iscariot duo as a swarm of bats filled the hallway - a swarm of bats which coalesced into the form of the vampire.

* * *

Alucard was entirely prepared to either attack or defend, depending on the priest's next action. But it turned out that neither was necessary for, with a worried glance back at his apprentice, Anderson let loose a swirling vortex of Bible pages, which somehow teleported the two of them away.

He was surprised, not simply that the priest had chosen to flee rather than continue to engage him in combat, but that the young woman's safety was apparently more important to him than attempting to slay a monster.

Although he hadn't met these particular Iscariot agents before, past experience with those from Section XIII was that the church considered those who couldn't survive combat an acceptable loss as long as the monster was slain in the end. What made this girl so different, that a hardened Iscariot agent would prioritize her protection over the completion of their holy mission?

Integra turned to leave, and as he trailed after his master, Alucard said to her, "I want to make that girl into a vampire."

"No," was Integra's immediate response, although she had no clue what made her vampire decide such a thing. "Absolutely not. You're only saying that because it would piss off the Iscariots."

"Ah, that would be a satisfying bonus," Alucard said, grinning. "But it certainly isn't my _main_ reason. Did you notice her accent?"

"What accent?"

"Exactly."

Integra turned the conversation over in her mind for a few long moments before she reached the conclusion her vampire was hinting at.

"You think she's the rumored sole survivor of the Cheddar Village incident?"

"I'm almost certain of it."

~to be continued~


End file.
